Improvement in maize-harvesters



J. S. 'BURNHAM Corntalk Cutter. Y No. 11,688. l PatentedSept. 19., 1854.

UNITED ASierras PATENT Grinch,

Jmnns s. BURNH'AM, on wns'r Jnrrnnson. onto.

lIViPRVEMEN'l' EN lriAlZ-H'A'RVEYSTEZRS,`

Specification forming 'part of Letters Patent N0. 11,688, dated September 19, 1554.

.ilo all-fwhom 'it may concern: Y

lie it known that I, d. S. BURNHAM, of West eiferson, in the county ot' Madison and State ci Ohio, have invented n new and useful. lml-rovement in Machines for Harvesting Gornstalks and I do hereby declare that the follnwing isa full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompaiyingrdrawingm forming part of this specifi- 1 Figure l is a plan or top' view-ot' a cornstalk, .liiarvester with my improvements. Fi 2 isa vertical longitudinal section through ghe red dotted line s s in Fig. 1. v

Similar letters of reference "indicate corresponding parts in beth figures.

The tirst part of this invention relates to the employment; of an oblique self-adjusting platv32pm, having cutting-ed ges arranged or formed quits front edge, one neareither end, and a flange at itsback ed ge.- By this`a1jrangement the cutters are caused to cut in an oblique upward direction, and consequently bring the stalks down with greater ease and certainty l than f-the cutting were performed in an oblique downward direction;` The stalkscan also be sustained by the flange on the platformand prevented from fallingl tothe ground before theyare caught by the reels and thrown' into the receiver.

The second part of this invention relates to the employment of horizontal collecting-reels, 'hayingtheir arms made elastic and of cymareversa shape, in combination with a novel arrangement of guards, oblique fenders, curved directing-arms, Tand receivers or handlers. By this arrangement the stalks can be brought to the properv position for being cut, and after being cut prevented from falling crosswise the machine, and collected and held until a su'- cient quantity to form a bundle has been cnt.

'The third part of this invention relates toa simple'manner of arranging the receiving-arms and attaching them to ashifting-lever, wheren by the driver can discharge the stalks, when necessary, with ease and dispatch without changing his position or leaving his seat.

To4 enable others skilled in the' art to make and use my invention,1.will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The frame of the machine consists of a beam, A, to which are attached the axle B, shafts G C, land the standards a a of then partition D.

IThe machine is supported on wheels EE and drawn by a horse attached within the thills, and cuts. down two hills ot' corn at one operation.

F F are two cutting-ed ges, formed or secured on the iront and near either end of a swing.

ing platform, G. This plattform has tchange, 7), at its back forthestalks torest against until thrown into the receiver, and is hinged by the arms a a' to the shafts C C, at or near their -back extremities, and suspended in an oblique position by the short connecting rod or chain d, which permits itto play upward when it meets with resistance.

By hanging the platform in an inclined position the cutting-edges or cutters, which may be at right angles to the line of motion or form an oblique angletherewith,are caused to sever the stalks by an oblique Aupward` stroke, such stroke being found by experience in cuttingf with the knife in hand to bring down the corn with the greatestease and certainty.

The arms a a' may be mad-e elastic, so as toallow the cutters to adjust themselves, in a measure, independent of each other. The ar rangement ot' the platform and cutters will be clearly seen by examining the drawings,Figs. 1 and 2.

G' G are curved elastic collecting-arms, attached to the upper extremities of vertical revolving shafts H 1H, having bevehpinions c c on them, which gear into bevel-wheeled d on the inner 'surface of the propelling-wheels. The collecting-arms are made ot' cyma-reversa shape, o r curved, asshown in the drawings, for the purpose of keeping the stalks near-their outer extremities, andare made elastic, in order that they may yield or spring back when necessary. These arms serve for bringing the stalks in proper position for being cut down, and also throwin`gY them iito the receiver.

l I areguards extending from the shaftsto the drivers seat or partition to preventstalks escaping from the collecting-arms and falling across the machine.

J J are guides by which the tops of the stalks,after being carried back by the reels, are liberated therefrom and compelled by the peculiar shape of said guides to i'nll within the receivers K K. These guides are attached to the posts L` L, which are framed into the axleso as to rise obliquely outward toward the wheels. -The posts, by their Obliquity, act as fenders, causing the. buttends effthe "falling stalks -to assume a position between the rows of corn end out ofthe way of the cuttingedges. These posts also serve for receiving theupper bearings of the vertical Shafts, the.

lower bearings of said shafts being in the axle B.

The arms or receivers K K are arranged in p'airs'fon'e on either side of thepartition D, and are-attached to err '1k-axles fj', which turn in bearings g gV on the beam A. To theaxlesfj' the connectingrod Meis jointedby eye-links, as represented. The rod M passes through the standards of the partition I), and is jointed to the shit'tin g hand or foot' leverfN, which has its fulcrumh in the'beam,

The operation is asfollows: 'As thelnachine- -advances the stalks'of cornare gathered in by the collecting-arms 'and severed near vthel ground by the cutting-blades, andv'hile suplporled bythe -platform and ailge are thrown back by theeollectiug-arms, aided by the guides,

into the receivers, where they accumulate.Y As

'- soon as the-receivers are lled the lever and connecting-rod are moved to theposition sho-wn in red in Fig. 2, andthe position of the 'receivingarms thereby changed from an upward to-ga downward inclination, as shown in red,

and the stalks consequentlyeansed to slide ott upon theground;v The stalksbeingdischarged,. the lever ismoved' back to its place, and the purpose' herein described.

receivers thereby adj ustedto the posi tion shown in black. A

1- This maehi-neis rendered. vexceedingly sim.- ple by the arrangement of the cutters, and also Vvery compact, and eonsequentlyis not very liable to 'get out of order1 which is a great desideratum in machines of this nature.

-j l/VhatI claim as |nyinvention, and Vdesire to secure by Letters Patent, is'- 1. The employment and arrngementfot the oblique self-adjusting cutting andfsustaining platform, having a ange on its backedge and cutters arranged or formedon its'front edge near either end, substantially as and for the 2. The employment of thehor'izontal collect- 'ing-reels,'having'theirarmsG G made elastic and'ofeyma-reversashape, .'incombination with the guards I I, oblique fenders L L, guides J J and 'receivers or handlers 'K K, substantially as and for the purpose desc'ril.)'ed.I Y

i 3 The arran gement ot" "the receiver-anne or bundlers, moved by the shifting-lever and connecting-rod, for thepurpo'seof readily e'ii'ecting the discharge'ot the stalks, substantially as herein described;

JAMES S.',BURNHAM. Witnesses:

N. C. DIMATIAs, L. A. BURNHAM.' 

